The Presidential Award is a testament to the dedication and commitment I have made to my students and my profession. The application process required me to examine my teaching practices down to the “microscopic level” and “dissect” my entire teaching career. Through that examination, I was able to reflect upon and come to a full appreciation of the contributions and accomplishments I have made throughout my career. I am thankful and honored to be recognized with this prestigious award.

Erica Huggard Emporia, KS | 7-12, Science, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Erica Huggard has taught for 18 years. For the last 17 years, she has taught biology, anatomy, and physiology at Emporia High School and currently teaches 10th-12th grade students. Prior to teaching at Emporia, she taught biology for one year at Holton High School. Erica has received awards for Kansas Master Teacher, KNEA Teaching Excellence, California Casualty Teaching Excellence, and she has been a finalist for the Kansas Teacher of the Year. Erica's teaching philosophy centers around helping students develop into intrinsically-motivated learners who are prepared for post-secondary success. To help students reach this goal, she uses mastery learning techniques, modeling instruction methods, and technology to meet the diverse abilities in her classes. To develop her techniques, Erica built her knowledge through additional science and education courses. The courses that influenced her teaching the most were in modeling instruction methods. Erica believes the techniques she has refined and developed are beneficial to other educators. She shares and presents these techniques to educators in her district, her community, and across her state. Students in Erica's class thrive in a supportive yet challenging learning environment through her use of student-made models and individual assessments. Learning is facilitated, interventions are provided, and students gain confidence as she checks for understanding and identifies what each student knows individually. These interactions with her students reinforce her expectations and shows that she values each of them as individuals. Erica received her B.S. in biology and health education from Emporia State University. She later received her M.S. in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University.

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